Therapy Appointment with Dr. Jamie Long

Complimentary Phone Consultation

Please feel free to request a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to discuss any questions or details regarding the therapeutic assistance you are wishing to receive. Once you are ready to make an initial appointment, you can reserve time by contacting me via telephone: 954-391-5305, e-mail: dr.jamie@bayviewtherapy.com, or this website. Appointments are scheduled Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm. Evening/weekend hours can be easily arranged to accommodate those with a busy schedule.

Getting Started: Initial Evaluation

Your first few psychotherapy sessions will involve an evaluation of goals and needs. Whether you are seeking individual, couples, or family therapy, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what your work will include and a treatment plan to follow. I welcome your opinions of my proposed treatment plan along with your thoughts of whether you feel comfortable working with me. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so it’s important to carefully and thoughtfully select a therapist. [click here for tips on choosing a therapist] If you have any questions about my credentials, clinical experience, and/or treatment procedures; please feel open to discuss these questions whenever they may arise.

Follow-up Therapy Appointments

Individual therapy is the foundation of recovery and improving psychological wellness. I meet with most of my patients individually on a weekly basis for meetings of 45-50 minutes in duration. The frequency and duration of therapy sessions can be adjusted upon request or clinical recommendation to help meet individual needs.

Including Friends, Partners, and Family

Overcoming life’s challenges often calls for the support and encouragement of loved ones. Significant others, family members, and other supportive individuals are welcome to engage in the treatment process. Collaboratively, we will discuss how to best incorporate your support system in psychotherapy.

How Much Does Therapy Cost?

Therapy involves a commitment of time, energy, and money. At times, I find that it can be difficult to discuss and/or allocate funds to pay for psychotherapy. This may be caused, in part, by a negative stigma associated with receiving psychotherapy or difficulty spending money on oneself. For many, it’s customary to accept fees associated with a medical bill or paying for the cost of a new outfit, but not for psychological health. But like any other expense that is necessary for one’s wellness and self-care, money for psychotherapy can and should be discussed openly. Consider the value of your mental health when allocating funding for therapeutic services.

As in any other business, compensation fees adjust periodically to reflect increased costs of living and one’s growing professional expertise. I offer 15-minute phone consultations free of charge in hopes that you can better evaluate if I am the best doctor to assist you. Please call for more information on session costs. Payment is due upon reservation of the appointment and cash, credit/debit cards, paypal and personal checks are acceptable forms of payment.

In our practice — Bayview Therapeutic Services — we have treatment providers with differing credentials, varying levels of experience, and different fees for service. If you or your family is experiencing financial hardship and decide against working with myself or another one of our doctoral-level clinicians, you may consider working with one of our junior clinicians and request a sliding scale fee. Everyone in our practice holds a minimum of a Master’s degree and has been well-trained and supervised.

Insurance

Unfortunately, insurance plans are often limited in its coverage. Many plans require satisfying a hefty deductible prior to covering services and some only cover a certain number of mental health visits per year. Another roadblock is that most insurance plans do not pay for providers outside their network of contracted providers. It’s not uncommon for doctoral-level clinicians and specialists to decline an insurance company’s contract due to the poor compensation, rigid limitations, and cumbersome billing procedures. Regardless of which provider you decide to work with, almost all high quality services will involve some amount of out-of-pocket payment.

For patients with out-of-network mental health benefits (PPOs), I will help you submit claims to obtain reimbursement for payments you made at time of service. Typically, out-of-network benefits cover at least a portion of treatment costs and reimbursement checks are usually sent within 30-days of receipt of the claim.

For patients with Medicare, you are only responsible for the co-pay which is 20% of the Medicare-allowed amount for the initial evaluation and 40% of the Medicare-allowed amount for subsequent appointments. Please note that Medicare co-pay amounts change periodically. I am happy to discuss your specific insurance plan coverage should you have questions or need assistance understanding the details of your plan.

Should you choose to investigate your specific insurance plan, be sure to ask the following:

Do I have out-of-network behavioral health benefits?

Are there limitations on available therapy sessions per year?

Is there a deductible and how much is satisfied to date?

Am I responsible for any co-payments?

What percentage of treatment costs can I expect the insurance company to cover (also known as co-insurance)?